The Human Condition
by PinkVirtue
Summary: A young child is found and taken in by a vampire family. But how long can a human live amongst the creatures of the night?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I:

(A/N- enjoy new fic I write in between classes at uni. Definitely different from canon. Darla is nice for one. William wasn't turned by Drusilla (though that shall come later). Oh, and William's a child. Angelus sired many others. I haven't decided yet. We'll see. Enjoy!)

"But daddy, why did we leave the party so early? I wanted to play with the constable a bit longer."

The girl danced across the cobblestone street as she said those words. Her skirts fluttering about her and she lifted her legs during the jig. She was tall for a woman, but was slender and had an air of grace about her, swan like. She had dark hair, but her skin as white as snow. She sang words that didn't quite make sense yet sounded beautiful all the same to the midnight air.

Her arms curled above her head and her eyes closed as she continued dancing, completely unaware of her surroundings. Her companion paid no attention to her, use to her antics.

He was tall, much taller than she though. Where she was slim, he was broad. His frame was supported by sturdy shoulders and a trim waist. His stride exuded confidence as his shoes clacked against the stones. His eyes were dark and currently dilated as if something caught his interest.

Indeed.

It was dark out, but the streetlamps lit the street nicely for their purpose. Not that it mattered to them. There was no-one about as it would be sun up in a few hours, so most were indoors in bed. The man motioned to his companion to follow him into an alley to their left. She followed wordlessly, a grin on her face that told she knew what he was up to.

They could both smell it now. Fresh blood. It was enthralling, it called out to their kind.

They followed the sent. Years of hunting together saw them working flawlessly with each other so that words were not needed.

It was a narrow lane, but even so, she occupied one side and he the other, leaving a noticeable gap in the middle. They continued down the way, passing side streets and beggars every once in a while. The enticing smell appeared to be further away than they first anticipated. That simply meant that it was fresh, very fresh. Just been spilt.

As they got closer, they noticed another smell. This one more familiar. It was one of their own kind. Demon. There were only two of them, the man could tell, but it was more intriguing as to what they were doing in this particular area than anything else.

The two vampires who walked side by side were part of a larger clan, the one who ruled these parts of London among many others. They were Aurelius and they did not take kindly to trespassers. Their grins widened, it was time for some fun and a there was a lesson to be had.

They came to a door. It was wooden and only just hung from the doorframe. It was located in the bad part of town. The seedy area, the East End. It was a place the likes of these two vampires didn't like going much except for a quick meal. But desperate circumstances called for some drastic action.

The man laid a hand on the door, waiting to see if the vampires inside would have sensed their presence. Nothing. Just fledglings then. No master and no real power. Bound to find themselves in trouble and get killed someday. It would seem that today it will be sooner rather than later.

The girl made the motion of clapping her hands in glee. That look in her eye, the gold fleck, clearing showing those who dared to look that she was indeed an animal. No sweet little lady here, her daddy taught her right.

Their faces changed to suit the primal nature showing in their eyes. Large ridges appeared on their foreheads and fangs were revealed protruding from their mouths.

On the count of three by the man's fingers, she opened the door and lunged inside first. Her mouth attaching itself to the nearest creature's appendage. The man on the other hand, waltzed in after her and took the other out in order for the girl to have her fun with the remaining vampire. The demon's neck snapped cleanly, his brut strength was no match for a mere newborn. He let the body sink to the floor gracelessly, planning to do away with it later. He waited and watched his companion in action.

She had a hold of the man's arm that had long since been detached from his body courtesy of her teeth. He was clutching at the wound uselessly and wavering on his knees on the floor. He was done. And here they thought they had a challenge on their hands. Pity.

She circled him, prowling around his form crouched on the ground. She was sniggering while snapping and growling at him as he weakly tried to retaliate. But it was to no avail, he could not even sustain a change anymore.

"Come along darlin', we ain't got all day. Just be done with it and let's move on." His voice was not quite impatient but it showed he would not wait around forever for her to finish.

"Alright daddy if we must." And while still looking at the condemned man, she brought her index finger to his throat and gently sliced through it swiftly with her nail. Blood splattered her once white and clean dress and some also caught her chin and cheek. She wiped the blood from her face with a finger and then licked that clean. A pop sound signaling she was done as her hands returned to her sides.

Angelus then noticed the dead couple was stashed in the corner, blood no longer leaking from the puncture wounds on their necks. But he paid them no mind as they were no good to them now. Obviously the now dead vampires were out having some fun and got carried away. Shame really, such a waste of perfectly edible human beings.

"Look for some matches will you darlin'?" The man asked the woman while he began his search for some good liquor. It was an easy task as he knew where they'd keep it. These poor men were all the same. Hiding their liquor to keep the wife off their back's about using his paycheck to buy it in the first place. Disgusting.

Meanwhile, the lady was checking the cupboards and when that didn't prove successful, she went into the bedroom to see if a candle was still lit beside a bed. The bedroom was the only other room beside the kitchen and it looked like it housed the entire family. She didn't think anything of it until something caught her eye on a shelf on the furthest wall from the door. It was a pretty marble with an indigo cat's eye in the centre. It was obviously somebody's prized possession as it was one of the only things decorating the little room.

The shelf was just too high for her to reach so she got up on the nearby bed for leverage. She bounced twice before catching the marble in her hand and accidently dropping it on the way back down to the floor. She landed with an 'oaf' and a pout on her face. Clearly that didn't go as she'd planned.

Angelus was sitting at the table, occasionally taking long swigs from the clear liquid in the bottle before throwing some around the room liberally for good measure. He heard the noise and asked, "is everything alright in there?"

Just as she was about to answer, she reached for the marble which had rolled partially under the bed and stopped dead. She caught the marble and stood back up again, wide smile on her face. She'd found something and had to tell daddy.

She rushed back into the kitchen, nearly running into the man's chair. She grabbed his arm and pulled in the direction of her discovery.

"Daddy come quick, you have to see this!"

"Can't you just bring it out to me then?" Now he was impatient but she took no heed to his words for once. This was important.

"Oh but daddy, you must! You'll love it I promise!" She wailed at the taller man as he finally stood and followed her as she skipped back into the bedroom. On his way to follow her, he threw the bottle and its remaining contents into the corner of the room where the dead bodies lay. He then proceeded into the bedroom once he heard the bottle shatter on impact with the wall.

Drusilla was down on her hands and knees and he reluctantly followed. As he was finally on the ground he turned to see what the woman was so excited about.

A child.

A human child, male, about 6 or 7 years old, was under the dusty bed covered in dirt and grime. He was scared out of his wits, that much was clear. There were tears falling from his eyes, but no sobs from his throat. He was shaking and trying to hold himself still as his arms were wrapped around his small body.

The man grinned and tried to coax the boy out.

"Come out from there child. Tis' na' a place for one as young and pretty as you." He held out his hand but the boy did not make a move to take it. He did however drop his hands from his waist and let them fall to the floor as if interested in what the man was offering.

Seeing this, the man tried harder. The woman beside him was making small cooing noises with her throat in an attempt to sooth the little lad.

"Come now, those monsters are gone. The pretty lady an' meself did away with em'. There's nothing gonna hurt you now child. We'll take care of you." After some silence and a lot of patience from the normally intolerant killer, the boy moved out from under the bed, taking the man's larger hand with his considerably smaller one.

He was pulled from his feet and into the man's embrace, supported by those strong arms and hands he possessed. He squeaked at the sudden movement, but other than that he did not make a sound. He looked up at the man cautiously, suddenly curious as to why he was here and what he was doing.

Upon that look, the man looked at the child and was startled. His eyes were what drew him in. They were blue, but not just any blue, a deep blue that reminded him of the ocean and diamonds all at the same time. They made him think of his mother and her apple pie, his father and the horse they had owned at one time. And the forget-me-nots he had planted when he was five down by their garden.

It was family. Real family.

He hadn't thought of his birth parents in over a century, not even appreciating them when he was alive. So it was strange to be suddenly reminded of them by this creature.

On further examination, the man could see the boy wasn't simply small, he was tiny. He could feel the bones of the child's ribs under his palms and even for his superior strength he could tell he weighed nothing more than a sack of potatoes. He had a slim face, not chubby and full of dimples like you would normally see in children. His hair was covered in black soot but bits of golden blonde could be seen poking through. The clothes he was wearing were shabby and tattered, falling to pieces even as he wore them.

The child was looking at him intently. No longer crying or whimpering, just staring. He was no longer afraid it seemed. He smiled, this made things interesting.

"My name's Angelus. This lady to me left is me daughter Drusilla." She had been hovering next to him, silently contemplating the little child as she turned her head this way and that to get a good look at him from all angles. "What's yours lad?"

"W-W-William." He finally managed. He only stuttered slightly, but it was enough to make Angelus grin.

"Do ye know what happened to ya parent's child?" It was said in a soft tone that put the boy at ease and gave him confidence to start his story.

"I-I was in the b-bedroom. S-s-sleeping. And, and then I woked up and heard my mummy and my daddy screaming." He paused for a moment before looking down and continuing in a quieter voice than before. "But, but I didn't go to help them. I just hidded over there." And he raised his hand from where it had been clinging to Angelus' shoulder to point in the direction of the bed. He screwed his eyes up and tears began to fall.

"Now now, don't cry Will. You did the right thing. Those monsters that got ya parents were evil. And ye parents would be very happy that ya safe and sound." He tried to soothe the boy by rubbing his back as he sobbed quietly into Angelus' coat lapels.

"And then you wouldn't have us to play with!" Drusilla chimed in and got the boy to laugh somewhat. At the very least it had stopped him crying.

"Now we canna' leave ya here Will, so I want ye to gather ya stuff together and pack it in a case alright?" He let the boy down and sat down on the chair again.

"I'll help. I am your new big sister. We should play nice." And they wandered off into the bedroom as Angelus set himself in his thoughts at the table.

Laughter. Ten agonizing minutes of incessant laughter coming from those two in that room. Shouldn't the boy be sad, he just lost his parents, Angelus thought? Maybe he was too young to realize the impact of their loss?

"Are you lot done in there?" He called, wondering how long this was supposed to take. He rolled his eyes.

They came bounding into the room later, no longer rattled down with giggles. Angelus picked the boy up with one arm and used the second to take a hold of the suitcase next to him. The boy rested his head against Angelus' shoulder, faced turned into his neck.

"Thank you" was all that the boy said before drifting off into sleep, content in Angelus' arms.

Angelus understood now. William wasn't worried about his parents because he had a new one. Angelus.

Soon. The boy would be family one day. But not now. He would take care of him until he is ready.

"Come Drusilla. We'll be going now. Don't dawdle." Angelus said as he walked through the door with William in his arms and Drusilla at his heels. She was singing again, this time it was about brothers and families. Perfect for the occasion.

Angelus took one last look at the house that use to be William's as it went down in flames, before proceeding forward from the house and into the cold mist of the dawn approaching.

TBC…

-Strawberry-Buttercup-

(A/N- well there ya have it! Chapter 1 of I haven't got a fucken clue! Enjoy! Oh one question, how's Angelus' accent going? It's a right pain in the neck!)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II:

He was in a bed. It was soft and warm. It smelt clean too. This wasn't home. But it was better.

He rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, basking in this rare occurrence. But a knock at the door stopped him. The person did not wait for an answer and slowly opened the door, peeking their head through the crack.

"Hello William. 'Tis time for you to get up and meet your new family." It was Angelus. He was smiling from what William could see in the dark room with the curtains drawn closed.

He suddenly felt nervous. What if they didn't like him? What if they threw him out? Where would he go? He twisted the bed sheets in his little hands as a frown found its way on Angelus' face.

"I know what ya be thinking lad an' it ain't true. This is your home too now." He picked William up from the bed via his underarms and set him on the floor.

"Now donnat' worry. We'll get ye cleaned up before ya go downstairs to meet em'." The thought was suppose to be comforting but apparently it wasn't as William began crying softly.

Angelus knelt down on the floor so he was level with William. He held him close and whispered into his ear. "Come now child. Stop cryin' fer daddy. I'll be right there with ya so don't trouble yaself."

When the tears didn't stop he simply picked the boy up and took him out from the room, into the hallway and then down into the kitchen. A metal tub sat in the middle of the floor, steam coming from its edges. Angelus placed William in a chair at the breakfast table and began removing his garments as to ready him for the bath. The sobs had quietly ceased and Angelus wiped the remains of them from the boy's cheeks as he took off his filthy shirt.

He then rolled up his own sleeves and lifted the boy into the bath, handing him a washcloth as he begun to pour water over his sooty hair using a nearby jug. It was the best bath William had. It was warm for a start, as all the ones he'd had before had been stone cold. He hated having baths. But he liked this.

The water had to be changed and William just watched as the dirty water was thrown out the back door by Angelus. When he was finally clean, or so Angelus deemed 'will do for now', he was carried back upstairs in a big fluffy towel that he nearly fell asleep in. Clothes he had never dreamed of owning before were pulled from drawers he hadn't had time to realize were even there when we woke this morning. And then Angelus was kneeling next to him again and pulling a shirt over his head and stockings over his feet. The trousers came next then a length of cloth to be tied around his neck. A brush was soon combing through his locks and he was slowly relaxing. Angelus' attentions to his appearance making him forget about his parents and focus on his new one.

"There ya are lad. Now, come meet my family. Ya 'ave some brothers and sisters to meet." He grinned down at William and he smiled back. Angelus took his left hand in his and walked him down the stairs and into the parlor where there were -what appeared to be to William- quite a few people waiting.

"This 'ere be William. Introduce yerselves." It didn't appear as if anyone in the room had heard him as they were all just staring as William. William felt uncomfortable and stepped back towards Angelus, looking up at him for help.

"Now don't be shy my boy. These people will like ya as much as I meself do, alright?" He told William as he scooped him up and sat him down on the divan next to a regal looking blonde woman.

"Hello there child, my name is Darla." It was a simple greeting and Angelus was grateful for that. Best not to scare the boy too much at once.

Darla was positioned on the couch with her back straight and her legs neatly sat together, one ankle tucked behind the other. A proper lady indeed. She had layers and layers of skirts of varying colours and a bodice that made her look so fragile and delicate. She had a sweet smile on her face that usually got her anything she desired.

William didn't look at the lady and didn't speak to her, suddenly terrified once more. All the other occupants of the room were just staring at the pair, not saying or doing anything more.

"Come now Will, say lo' to ya new motha'." Chided Angelus as he laid a hand on William's little shoulders.

"Hello, mother." William replied in a curt tone, only trying to please Angelus.

Darla raised her arm and took her glove off of her left hand. She cupped William's cheek and turned his head towards her. "Now William. I'm not trying to replace your mother. You do not even have to call me that if you do not wish it. We simply want to take care of you." She continued to gently stroke William's face until his eyes rested upon hers.

"Thank you mam'. I'll be good I promise." William explained enthusiastically as Darla's hand was taken away.

"We know you will. We're so excited that you're here. We only want you to be happy." Darla's tone was gentle and soft. It appealed to William's youthful nature. He grinned shyly up at the lady and gave her a rare smile. She gave one in return then opened her arms in invitation as William climbed into her lap to return the hug.

The moment was lost when Angelus pulled William from her. "Don't go wasting your hugs on her. There be plenty o' time fer that later. Now ya got yer siblings to meet." He said as he placed William back on the floor while he stood behind him.

William looked lost until Drusilla raced up from her seat on the floor and took William's arm and led him towards her brothers and sister.

A man stepped forward, he appeared to be the eldest. He had short and tamed brown hair, not at all like Angelus'. His face revealed nothing of his thoughts as he took William from Drusilla and held him from his small waist at eye level. He looked William over once, then twice, before introducing himself. "My name is Penn, the engraver." Nothing more was said but he did attempt to smile at the William, in which he heartedly returned, obviously feeling he was accepted.

He was set down on his feet again gently and a woman came up to him and curtsied before taking his hands and pulling him onto her lap as she sat on the couch. She immediately started pinching his cheeks and tickling his sides and William couldn't help but smile and giggle, squirming in her embrace to escape the torture.

It soon stopped when a growl was heard from above in warning. They calmed down and she sat William on the couch as she kneeled before him. "My name is Mary William. I'm the second eldest and I am going to take such good care of you. " She exclaimed and drew him in for a cuddle. William liked Mary she was nice. She reminded him of his older sister. He started to frown but stopped himself before it appeared on his face. He couldn't think of that now, not when he had his new family to meet.

The remaining occupant of the room came forward and outstretched his hand, which William took and shook for a moment. "I'm Benjamin. But I prefer Ben. I'm going to call you Billy." The greeting was casual and it made William finally put to rest his fears about meeting the 'family'.

He was here, they were nice, and they liked him! Benjamin shook his hand like an equal and Mary gave him a hug! And Penn…well he was nice. He didn't not like him so everything was alright. Except one minute detail. Weren't they all monsters like he saw last night at his house? The door had been hanging wide open so he had seen Drusilla rip and slice that man apart. And Angelus had just about taken that things head off with his hands! Were they all like that? Were they going to do that to him, eat him?

He looked up at Angelus who was sitting next to him. He plucked up his courage and asked a question he was dying to know. "Um-um- are you g-going to eat m-m-me?" He asked as quietly as he could but it did no use as every figure in the room had unnaturally heightened hearing. They all laughed.

"Of course not William. You are our responsibility now, and we are going to take care of you. We are your family now and you are our little one." He nuzzled William's neck with his nose which caused a small giggle of surprise to come from the boy.

The admission was what William wanted to hear. He wanted to be cared for by this man. He didn't want to be alone, he wanted Angelus to be proud of him and most of all love him. He didn't want his parents to die, but if he had to choose new ones, he'd definitely choose Angelus.

Angelus addressed his other children while holding onto Will's shoulders from behind the settee. "It be dinner time you lot. Off with ya, I want to get William settled so take as much time as ya want. No bringing dinner home tonight. Got me?" He was hard on them so the message came across clear. They groaned about leaving William behind so soon after their meeting but stopped protesting as soon as they saw the look in their sire's eyes.

William was still sitting by Darla and just watched while they all went upstairs to change and then disappeared out the front door, never to be seen again this night.

"Aren't you going darling?" Darla asked curiously.

"No, I shall go later. When Will here is in bed." He answered naturally. He ruffled the boy's hair as he walked around from the back of the couch to the front before sitting down next to William.

"Now William, I want you to feel safe 'ere. Nobody is gonna hurt ye. But if something does 'appen, I want ye to come to me immediately." He talked in a softer tone to William than he did his older children, but with the same seriousness. William nodded and smiled up at Darla as she began stroking his right arm in comfort. William thought nothing of the question, not believing this man and his wonderful family could hurt him so much.

"Now ye must be hungry lad. Let's fetch ye something to eat yes?" William nodded again and watched as Angelus walked from the room. He heard him talking to someone else in the kitchen but thought nothing of it. If they were important, he would have met them.

His attention was turned to Darla as she began addressing him. "We've already sent for some clothes for you. They're in the drawers in your room. Do you remember where it is?"

"You mean I get my own room?" He asked excitedly, never fathoming that he'd ever be allowed his own room.

"Of course darling. Do you want me to show it to you properly?" She asked while smiling down at him, amused by his reaction.

When William began nodding vigorously she laughed and held out of her for William to take as he jumped off the settee. She led him by the hand upstairs and to the left. She turned to a door towards the right and pointed saying, "this is my room and that there," and she pointed to the door to her left, "Is Angelus'. If you have any problems and you can't find us, this is where we will be."

Darla then took William down the other corridor past the stairs and opened the door to the room he remembered from this morning. "And this is your room. We will help you decorate it soon. But for now, this will have to do." She explained as though she was greatly sorry for the inconvenience.

William ran around the room, taking everything in at once. The single bed in the middle made of dark wood and its accompanying side table. The plush rug on the floor, the ornate chest at the foot of the bed, the tall drawers to the side and a full length mirror standing to the left of the bed. He stopped and ran at Darla, jumping into her arms as she brought her arms around him to support him in her embrace. "Thank you! It's more than I could ever wish for!" He exclaimed and then kissed her lightly on the cheek.

He blushed slightly as he heard a chuckle to the side and saw Angelus leaning casually in the doorway. "You're welcome Will. Now get in the kitchen before your supper gets cold."

William flopped back down onto the floor and after glancing at both Angelus and Darla, rushed downstairs in the direction of that wonderful smell.

TBC...

-Strawberry-Buttercup-


End file.
